The Cat in the Woods
by YarningChick
Summary: Engaged since birth, Haru had never met the man she would one day marry. But when her double-crossing father decides to marry her off to someone else, the young girl decides to take her destiny into her own hands.
1. The Betrothed

Extra

This story was based off of a Grimm tale called The Woman in the Woods, but once again, I kind of went a little off-track. I hope everyone likes it.

Chapter One: The Betrothed

It was a beautiful summer day, but then, it usually was around this time of year. A ridiculously obese man wiped at his brow with a handkerchief, and leaned across the wagon to talk to the tall blonde man riding on horseback right next to him.

"How can these people take this kind of abuse from the sun?!"

His master shrugged coolly, and took a neat sip from his water flask.

"They are used to the climate, and you're not. No need to fuss, Muta."

The brunette grunted, and took a drink from his third flask of water today. The leader of the company chuckled, and refocused on the road in front of him.

His emotions swirled around inside of him; he had no idea if he should be happy, scared, or angry. For at the end of the long road, his bride was waiting for him. This marriage had been arranged for nearly as far back as he could remember, but he had never been allowed to meet the girl he would be spending the rest of his life with, in accordance with a strange superstition her family had concerning arranged marriages. Despite his pleadings, he hadn't even been allowed to exchange letters with the girl and gain a better knowledge of her character.

So here he was, the day before his wedding, on the way to her family manor. After the wedding and honeymoon, his bride would return with him to his family manor. He sighed; wishing that the girl wasn't a stranger to him. He didn't even have a clue if he would get along with her or not.

A dark crow flew over his head and perched on his shoulder.

"I've asked the local birds, and they say that the manor is just on the other side of the approaching forest. Stick to the path, and you'll be there before nightfall."

The lord smiled and reached up to stroke the dark bird's feathers.

"Thank you, Toto."

Muta humphed.

"It's just what the lady in the last village said, you birdbrain!"

Toto smiled evilly, and raised his wings in order to attack the fatso. His master stopped him with one hand while pulling something off his wrist.

"If you could do me a small favor, Toto?"

The bird looked at him.

"What do you need, Baron?"

The lord slipped a small drawstring bag around the crow's neck and tightened it just enough so that it wouldn't slip off.

"I'd like you to find Miss Haru, and give this to her. Tell her to plant it immediately, and water it once."

The crow grinned.

"No problem; she'll probably love it."

Baron took a breath to steady his nerves.

"Also… learn what you can about her, and report to me before we reach the manor."

Toto nodded solemnly as he spread his wings out and took off.

"Consider it done."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Haru delicately fanned herself as she walked around the family gardens, too distracted to be thinking much about the smothering weather. She wrapped her long chocolate strands around her fingers nervously.

Today was the day she would finally meet her husband-to-be. Of course, knowing her father, he would probably not let them meet until the actual ceremony, when she would be completely covered with a veil. She sighed; hoping that she would get along with her fiancé. Her family had been talking about this marriage practically since she was born. She wished that her father could have at least let her exchange letters with the man, Humbert. The slim brunette giggled, thinking about his strange name. She knew she shouldn't laugh at his name, since he had almost undoubtedly laughed at hers at least once, since their countries were so different.

She sighed again; wondering if he would mind her little eccentricities. A slight sound caught her ear, making her look over the hedge bordering the family garden.

A group of boys were picking on a little girl, playing keep-away with her doll. The delicate little girl looked like a doll herself, except for the fact that she was crying and stumbling over the boys' feet as they tripped her.

Haru's blood boiled. Making sure no one from inside the estate was watching her, she put aside her parasol and tucked her fan into the waist sash of her dress. Leaning down low, she did a fancy jump over the hedge; one that wouldn't have been doable, if she had been someone else.

The bullies looked up at the sound of her feet coming in contact with the ground. Their gleeful faces slowly melted into horror as the count's daughter approached them with burning eyes.

"What is the meaning of this, gentlemen?" she nearly hissed. The boy currently holding the doll dropped it and followed after his buddies as they ran away in terror, knowing it was a bad idea to get on her bad side.

"Find a more productive hobby!" she yelled at them before leaning down to pick up the doll. There was dirt on it now, but at least it wasn't mud. She looked over at the awe-struck little girl and smiled warmly.

"Try not to worry about them. They just like your attention." Haru gently brushed the loose dust from the doll's hair and dress before returning it to the girl, and using her handkerchief to dry the girl's tears.

"Will they ever stop?" the girl sniffled as the count's daughter took the peasant girl in her arms and squeezed her softly.

"No, they just change their tactics. About eight years from now, those boys will probably be coming at you with flowers."

The girl scoffed.

"I wouldn't marry any of them if my life depended on it."

Haru laughed and kissed the child's brow.

"Careful; that's what my mother said about my father, and look where it got her."

The child giggled, hugging her doll happily.

"My name's Sakura."

Haru embraced the girl again.

"A beautiful name. I'd introduce myself, but I think you know who I am."

Sakura nodded enthusiastically, her eyes bright and shining.

"You're Miss Haru, the Angel of Yagashi." The smile faded. "Lots of people are sad that you'll be moving away soon."

Haru smiled and kissed the girl's hair softly.

"I'm sad too, but I need to go. Maybe my future husband needs an angel around his estate."

Sakura sighed, and stood on her tiptoes to kiss Haru's cheek.

"I better head home. Mama might be worrying about me."

The fairly tall brunette smiled and stood up, brushing the light dirt from her fancy blue dress.

"You probably should. It's not a good idea to be out in the woods at night."

The little girl nodded, and waved happily before making her way through the trees. Haru smiled; certain that the child knew her way around. She had known these woods since she was smaller than Sakura, and she had been cooped up for most of her life. Making her way back to the hedge, she did the usual flip that allowed her to land safely on the other side. It always struck her as funny; that her family thought that a mere hedge could prevent her from getting involved with the peasants. She straightened out her attire before reaching for her parasol.

"_Please_ say that you're Haru Yoshioka."


	2. Baron's Gift

Extra

Chapter Two: Baron's Gift

She jumped, not recognizing the voice. She looked around, not seeing anyone. Her eyes turned dark, and she gripped her parasol like a weapon.

"If you're a thief or a jester, I'm warning you-"

A merry laugh cut her off.

"I'm not a thief, and my master might kill me if I try to joke with you right now. Look up and to your left."

She did so, a little surprised to see a crow on top of the hedge. He had a small brown bag tied around his neck. He bowed to her.

"_Are_ you Haru Yoshioka?"

Not forgetting her manners, she curtsied neatly for him.

"I am. Who are you?"

"I'm Toto; a servant of Baron Humbert von Gikkingen."

Her heart froze up in anticipation and dread.

"I see. I take it he'll be arriving soon?"

Toto nodded and flew down to sit on the fountain's edge.

"He should be here before the night is."

Haru sighed nervously, sitting next to the crow.

"I know this is cheating, but what can you tell me about him?"

The dark bird grinned evilly.

"Well, I can tell you that if you like to get involved with other people's problems the way you did with the little girl, you'll get along great with my lord."

The brunette laughed nervously.

"I do get involved all the time, but please don't tell my family about it. They hate it when I try to talk to lower-class people, and I'm often punished when they find out."

The crow cocked his head at her.

"But you still do it."

She shrugged.

"Taking care of the people is my father's job. Since he won't pay attention to them, it naturally falls to me to help them out where I can. He just doesn't see it like that." Haru sighed again. "But if this Humbert guy likes getting involved-" she was cut off as the bird started laughing his head off.

"I haven't heard anyone call him by that name in years! Not even his mother called him that, at least in the three years before her death."

She decided not to take offense at his laughter, since she hadn't been told anything about her fiancé besides his name.

"Well, what is he called now?"

"Usually 'Baron', or 'My Lord'. He'll probably want you to call him Baron, though." He gestured to the bag around his neck. "He wanted me to give this to you for him."

Wondering what Baron could have sent her, she carefully loosened the cord around his neck and slipped it off so she could open the bag. She looked inside, puzzled. The brunette reached in, and pulled out a small diamond. Toto brushed one wing across her lap to gain her attention.

"Baron wanted you to plant that in the ground as soon as possible, and give it a bit of water."

She cocked her head at the crow, but did as asked. Her family was so rich, that such a small diamond didn't have much of an impact on her. She slipped off the fountain, and sunk two fingers deep into the dark fertile soil; moving them around in order to make a planting hole. Dropping the diamond into the new hole, she pressed the earth over it before using her hands to gather water and sprinkle it over the diamond's resting place. Toto flew off the fountain and landed on the hedge behind her.

"Baron didn't say this, but I think it would be a really good idea for you to step away."

Haru didn't have a chance to ask why before she saw something clear, like glass, poke out of where she had laid the diamond to rest. She nearly jumped on top of the hedge herself, as long vines began to trail out of the hole. They reached out in a circle, until a few of the vines hit the fountain. The vines that had been reaching out for Haru and Toto trailed back to the fountain, and started circling it. The glass-like vines climbed up the sides of the fountain, and starting growing flowers. As the blooms began to open, they gained colors like red, orange, yellow, white, and blue. Eventually, they stopped moving. Haru leaned forward enough to touch the petals of a blue flower that was mimicking a rose. Her eyes widened.

"It's diamond? A growing diamond?!" She looked up at Toto, amazed. "Did he buy this or make it?"

"Made it. His mother got really depressed one winter, so Baron made her a garden that could never die."

Haru whistled appreciatively, still staring at the strange blossoms.

"He must have the soul of an artist, to do something like this." She touched a green-streaked vine. "He's somehow managed to manipulate the varying impurities naturally found in diamonds in order to create several different colors from the same seed. It must have taken him forever to learn how to do this."

"Actually, it took him about a year to get it right. The varying colors is something new that he's been working on. He'll be thrilled that you like it. As for your cheating by asking me about him, Baron kind of sent me here to gather information about you. Could you please tell me a little about yourself?"

Haru blinked, but sat down on the fountain again, strangely certain that the growing diamond wouldn't try to encase her.

"Well, there's not a whole lot to tell. My family hates having me outside and around people, so I read a lot about any subject I can get my hands on. I can sew pretty well, and I sneak around my father's back helping people, getting punished when they catch me doing it. That pretty much covers it. Oh, and you better make sure he knows that I have two left feet, because I doubt I'll be able to warn him in time at the reception, with my family hanging over everything."

Toto cocked his head; certain that there was more to the girl than that.

"What are your favorite types of books?"

"Dead languages, science, and magic. But don't let my family find out about the last one; they hate magic."

"They seem to hate a lot of things."

Haru sighed tiredly.

"You have no idea. What kind of things does Baron like?"

"Well, he's an excellent swordsman and magician, as you can see from his gift. He likes to experiment with tea blends, and also reads a lot. He prefers old classic novels, but has a soft spot for dead languages, like you do."

Haru's mind jerked a little, wondering.

"Toto, are you going to be seeing him before me?"

"Yes."

Getting an idea, she grabbed the small brown bag that had been tied around the crow's neck and felt around for her handkerchief. Lighting up with triumph, she folded it neatly before slipping the cloth into the bag.

"I want to know if he can read what's embroidered on the edges. Could you get it to him for me?"

Toto answered by flying down to her so that she could comfortably tie the bag around the bird's neck. He looked at her and smiled.

"This is my personal opinion, but I think you and Baron will be great for each other."

He flew off as a rosy blush stained the young woman's cheeks.

'_I hope you're right.'_


	3. Baron's Curse

Extra

Chapter Three: Baron's Curse

Toto struggled to contain his mirth as he sailed underneath the branches of the trees; following the path away from Haru's estate in hopes of finding his master's party soon. He couldn't wait to tell Baron about his bride. The lord couldn't have gotten a more perfect girl for him if he could have designed one.

The night was starting to close in when Toto found the wagon, and only the wagon. He blinked; surprised that even the horses were gone.

"Baron?! Muta?! This isn't very funny!"

"Believe me; this isn't very funny for us, either."

Recognizing his master's voice, the crow perched on the side of the wagon and leaned into it; shocked to find several tomcats clustered together in a horse blanket. One cat had sat up from the group; his familiar green eyes locked on Toto, who gasped in disbelief.

"Baron? What happened to you?"

The orange and cream cat sighed as he nestled back with the other cats.

"The Cat Princess crossed our path after you left. She thought I was handsome, and tried to order me to marry her instead of Miss Haru. I politely turned her down, and she changed all of us into cats for the insult." He sighed. "I don't see much point in heading to the Yoshioka estate now, since Miss Haru doubtlessly won't wish to marry a cat."

Remembering his burden, he hopped to the other side of the wagon so he could be closer to his feline master.

"She sent something back to you, when I visited her. She wanted to know if you could read it."

Sighing a bit, Baron sat up again, and tried to untie the drawstring. But being unused to paws, he couldn't get it. Growling, he just cut the cord with one claw and pulled the bag open. Puzzled, he pulled out the handkerchief and lay it flat over the stomach of the fattest cat, a white one with a brown spot on the left ear. Toto made a mental note to pick a fight with the fatso in the morning as the orange and cream cat tilted his head around, in order to look at the strange markings embroidered on all the sides of the handkerchief.

Without warning, he started laughing, startling his company out of their slumber. Muta growled as he opened one eye to look at his lord.

"What's going on now?!"

Baron's laughter changed into tears of regret. She would have had to have known what was written, maybe even being the one that had sewn it on. And now they could never meet.

"Miss Haru has a sense of humor, and I can't even tell her that I like the joke she sent me."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Haru looked out her window, worried at how dark it was outside. She was pretty certain that Toto had told her that her fiancé was supposed to be here by now. Did her family just not tell her that the baron had arrived?

Her heart, which had previously been in turmoil, was strangely at peace. She hoped that Baron truly was the way Toto had described him to be. Would he mind terribly, if she told him she wished to further her education? He didn't sound like the type to chain her to a needle and pat her on the head like a child the way her father did, when she told him what she would like better than a new pony or party dress.

The door to her bedroom thumped loudly, distracting the girl from her musings.

"Who is it?" Her question was answered as the Count Yoshioka opened the door widely, grinning at her.

"The angel of darkness, here to steal your soul," the man said dryly, convinced that he was hilarious. "Well, tomorrow's the big day, isn't it?"

The brunette frowned, and gestured out her window.

"I've been keeping an eye on the road, but they haven't shown up yet."

Her father grinned even wider.

"Excellent! Good to know that Louise was good on her word."

Haru's eyes widened, and she set her sewing aside.

"Father, what does the Cat Princess have to do with this?"

The count blinked.

"Oh yeah; I never told you. Better late than never, I guess. Haru; there's been a change in plans, concerning the wedding tomorrow."

The brunette's emotions started rocking around inside of her like a tidal wave.

"Is it being called off?" Before she even had a chance to meet Baron?

"Of course not; there's just a little adjustment on the handkerchiefs and such. Haru, I knew you wouldn't like to be married to a complete stranger, so I thought you would like to know that someone you know has made a very generous offer for your hand."

"But, the von Gikkingens already paid the bride price. Are you going to return it?"

"Why on earth would I want to do that, especially when your new affianced offered to have his daughter take care of the good baron?"

Her heart froze over, realizing what her father meant.

"Father… please tell me it isn't King Phoebus. We're different species!"

The count waved one hand in an attempt to soothe her.

"I know, but a trip to his kingdom will fix that. He offered ten times what Humbert's father did; it's a business thing dear, you'll understand with time."

Haru had backed up against her large window, clearly hearing her heart beat in her ears.

"_Business_?! You prefer gold over your honor?! What happened to Humbert?!" She was careful to use the name she had been taught to, in order to avoid suspicion. The count shook his head at her.

"Why would you care? You never knew a thing about him besides his name, thanks to the Cat King's suggestion." He smiled warmly at her before leaving her room. "He sent a message; rest as well as you can tonight; he has a lot of big plans for you and the wedding tomorrow."

"But Father-"

He closed the door on her, before she could protest further. The slim brunette could clearly hear the turning of a key, as her father locked her into her room. Throwing down her embroidery, she rushed at the door, and started banging on it.

"Father! Don't do this! Please!" She kept banging on it, but then slowly sank to the ground as tears trailed down her face.

She shuddered as her hands bled slightly, remembering all the times the count would invite the Cat King over for tea or an afternoon picnic. Without fail, the feline monarch would tell her what a babe she was growing up to be, and how her father would make her hold the king on her lap while he took a nap.

If she had known before that they were planning for that to be her future, she would have followed her instincts, and gave the king a good kick for every time he flirted with her, knowing full-well that she had been promised to another for years.

'_Oh, Baron… I'm so sorry.' _The count's daughter stumbled to her vanity, and sank into the chair like a drunkard. _'I know you're a good man. You deserve better than whatever happened to you on my behalf.'_

She looked at her reflection, the way she usually did when she was lost and wanted to see her mother again.

The young woman had grown up to look just like her dearly departed mother, dead now for twelve years. With one hand, Haru felt the long locks, remembering all the times that the Cat King had told her how much he liked it long.

Without quite thinking, Haru reached over for her fabric shears, and snipped off a large handful, close to her face.

Oh, how light her heart felt! Without thinking, Haru grabbed her hair again, and watched with glee as the chocolate strands fell to the ground, and into her lap.

By the time she was done, her hairstyle was a little uneven, but the brunette liked it.

'_I almost look like a boy.' _That was when it hit her.

Who said she had to stay here, and marry a cat? Who told her that she would not marry the man she had been promised to nearly all her life? Who had decided that her opinion didn't matter?

Her father.

Haru smiled evilly; a plan beginning to form in her head.

Her father had broken his word. And it was her duty to fix his mistake, by any means necessary.


	4. Haru's Choice

Extra

Chapter Four: Haru's Choice

Baron didn't expect to sleep very well that night, but changing species apparently wore one out. He woke up feeling a little groggy, wondering why he was in the wagon box. He remembered as he looked over his furry body and felt his new face. At least he wasn't cold.

The orange and cream cat hopped off the wagon box, careful not to disturb any one. Remembering a stream he had seen just before meeting Princess Louise, he calmly backtracked until he found it. Carefully leaning close to the edge, he dropped one paw into the water, since he didn't trust his new balance enough to put both of his front paws into the water. He slapped the dripping wet paw over his face, letting the icy cold of the water wake him up. He gasped slightly; flicking his ears in order to get rid of the specks of water that had flown to them from his paw.

"Drop dead! Or more to the point, tell your king to drop dead!"

A loud shout made him flick his ears upwards again, and he started running toward the sound. He didn't care much if his new form might not be as helpful as his human one, but if someone needed help, he wasn't about to shirk from the call. He crawled underneath a bush to get a peak at what was going on.

A towering human was fighting a group of gray cats with a burning tree branch. Off to the side, a brown cat with red cheek marks was shaking his head in dismay.

"Really Miss Haru; a queen shouldn't behave in such a manner."

Baron's ears perked up, hardly daring to believe it.

'_Miss Haru?!' _Although he hadn't been told much about her, the lord was still surprised to see his fiancé dressed like a peasant boy, with closely cropped hair, which was a bit unevenly sheared. As she turned in his direction to madly fend off more cats, Baron could see that her large brown eyes would have given her gender away anyway. What could she possibly be doing here of all places?

"Cool, because I'll never be a queen! I'm going to find my _real _fiancé, and fix whatever Louise did to him!" the human girl angrily shouted for all to hear. The brown cat shook his head as several of the gray cats started to retreat in fear of the crazy human.

"The princess was very thorough with her spell, Miss Haru. It's unbreakable."

The young woman stormed up to the brown cat and slammed her fist into his mouth, sending him flying after the posse of gray cats.

"Nothing is unbreakable if you apply enough force! I'm going to help the baron, or die trying!" she called after their retreating backs. Sighing, she started walking over to the river to douse her weapon.

"Well, I most certainly hope that you won't die in the attempt, but I'll gladly take your offer of assistance."

Startled by the new voice, Haru raised her weapon again, and looked around wildly. A bush to her left shifted a bit, to reveal a handsome orange and cream cat. He stood on his hind legs and bowed politely to her.

"This wasn't exactly how I planned our first meeting, but I'm Baron Humbert von Gikkingen."

Haru blinked, and then looked deep into the cat's green eyes, somehow knowing that he was telling the truth. She tossed her flaming branch into the river before it burned her. The slim brunette gave a polite curtsy, forgetting that she wasn't wearing a skirt at the present.

"I guess you know I'm Haru Yoshioka." She sat down in order to be a better eye level with the cat. "So; this is what Louise did to you?"

He nodded; looking confused.

"How did you know that the Cat Princess did something to me?"

Haru sighed and put up her hands in a defensive gesture.

"I found out last night that my father's been planning to double-cross you for years. The Cat King offered ten times as much gold as your family did, and my father's too greedy to give back what you already gave him."

The orange and cream feline started growling angrily, and made his claws come out in irritation.

"When I get my paws on him…"

"We need to fix your problem first. Could you please tell me everything you can about when Louise cursed you? I know a little bit about cat magic, and I need to at least try to help fix what happened to you because of me."

Baron looked at her wearily.

"Well, about ten minutes after I sent Toto ahead, we came to a little white cat sitting directly in the middle of the road. I asked her to move, and she said no. I gave orders for everyone to go around her, but for some reason, no one could get past the invisible line the cat was making. Then she jumped on the head of my horse to get a better look at me." He looked down, feeling a bit embarrassed about telling the fetching girl the next part. "She expressed admiration for my appearance, and suggested that she would be a better bride for me than you. Unlike your father, I honor my commitments, so I politely turned her down." He spread his arms out, so she could better see his furry body. "And this is what happened."

Haru sighed.

"Did she use any words when she cursed you?"

"Yes, after she took my family ring."

Haru paled.

"Uh oh… what were her exact words?"

Baron cocked his head at her, wondering why the ring was so important.

"She said, 'I'll be taking this, until a human braves my father's castle to retrieve it for you. One sound from the human, and you are mine."

Haru's eyes widened.

"Shoot! Shoot, shoot, shoot!" She jumped to her feet, and started pacing like mad. Baron watched her movements with interest.

"It sounds breakable, despite what that other cat said."

His fiancé started hyperventilating.

"Oh, it's breakable all right. Just extremely difficult to pull off." She looked at him, still determined to do what she could for the orange cat. "I know how to get to the Cat Kingdom, and into the castle, but getting out of the kingdom's a bit trickier. And if a human doesn't leave by the next human sunrise, they stay as cats. When Natoru says 'impossible', he really means that he can't fathom it happening." She calmed down and sat on the cool grass again. Baron kept looking at her.

"Can you think of a human that would be willing to do it?"

"Only one. Me."

His eyes widened.

"Miss Haru, as your fiancé, I truly must protest against that proposition."

She looked over at the tawny cat and pointed a finger at him.

"And as _your_ fiancé, Mr. Baron, I protest against your protest. If I try to ask anyone else, the soldiers will find out where I am, and take me back to my father's estate and force me to marry King Phoebus. No offense, but even without Toto and your flowers, I'd still want to help you out. I've never been the biggest fan of the Cat King, and I'm more than willing to take my chances with you. And I'd love to see him humiliated."

"Believe me; he will earn what's coming to him when _I_ meet him." His growl was returning. "But you're dead set on doing this?"

"Absolutely."

He sighed, and got to his paws again.

"Please follow me. I think I know some people that can help us out with this."

She nodded, and got to her feet. Baron took a slower route back to the wagon, so that his fiancé would have an easier time following him.

"About the flowers… I loved them."

He turned in order to smile warmly at her.

"And I liked the joke you sent me last night. I really needed a good laugh when Toto got the handkerchief to me."

She smiled back; thrilled that he had understood the old tongue.

"I embroidered jokes like that over all my handkerchiefs, to help cheer me up when I have to endure another boring function. Father doesn't understand what the squiggles are, so he can't protest."

Baron laughed; a sound that was rapidly growing on the brunette.

'_Toto was right! She __**is**__ the right girl for me!'_


	5. Haru's Training

Extra

Chapter Five: Haru's Training

Muta left off licking his arm to see his master and a human girl approach the wagon. He grunted.

"For shame, Baron; picking up pretty girls when you're already engaged? I didn't think you were the type!"

All the other cats laughed as a rosy blush covered their lord's face. The girl ran her fingers through her short hair angrily.

"Is this stupid disguise worth nothing?!"

Toto gasped.

"Miss Haru, why did you cut your hair?!"

The girl shrugged.

"I had to look like a boy, since the soldiers were told to watch for any girls trying to leave the family grounds. Even then, I had to light a fire in the stable so people wouldn't pay attention to me."

Baron looked at her, impressed.

"You cut off your hair and started a fire for me?" Every other girl he had ever known considered their hair to be more valuable than their lives.

She shrugged again.

"If you like longer hair, it grows back. It's not like I chopped off a limb."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Natoru was still holding his face from the pain as he reported to his monarch, who was still waiting at the Yoshioka place. The brown cat groaned; knowing that his ruler would not take kindly to what he had to say.

He rounded the corner and crawled underneath the fence, in order to reach his monarch, who was waiting patiently for him in the rose garden, where the wedding was to take place.

"Well?! Where's my bride?!" the king demanded. Natoru flinched; hating when he had to be the bearer of bad news.

"I'm afraid she wasn't apprehended, Sire. We found her, but apparently Miss Haru was hiding some talents. Ones that she wasn't afraid to use."

The cat princess, dripping with rubies, laughed softly.

"Who would have thought that she was brave enough to run away? Doesn't she realize that she _will_ be taken again, and married to my father?"

The king in question purred at his daughter's confidence. The brown cat shifted again.

"Actually, she hopes to help the baron von Gikkingen. She made it clear that she's willing to die, if it will break what you did to him, your highness."

The princess froze as the king laughed; not worried in the least.

"That's wonderful! In that case, don't bother looking for her. She'll come to us, in due time."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The brunette jumped over a log, but tripped on it. A groan escaped her throat, making her pound one fist into the rocky earth.

Haru ran through the forest, noticing a second too late that the cats had a rope ready to trip her. That one issued a yelp.

She ran along a river to catch the tan cat holding the handkerchief she had given Baron, but then accidentally fell into the water as Toto took a swipe at her head. When she came back out of the water for air, she shrieked from the cold.

In the dark night, a wet human girl huddled closer to the fire, desperately trying to get warm. Toto watched her sadly from a nearby tree branch.

"I'm sorry about soaking you like that, Miss Haru."

She managed a slightly bitter smile.

"Hey, no idea how dirty the king's men are willing to fight to get me to talk. I know you didn't mean it."

Although the human girl didn't see it, the tawny cat was smiling softly at her.

'_She hasn't complained once, even when Muta pulled out the porcupine.' _

Despite the fact that the girl was still deathly cold, the feline fiancé rubbed his body along one arm. He wished he could truly flirt with her, but with him being in a cat's body, it would just be too awkward.

"You're a good woman, you know that, Haru?"

She seemed startled, like he had broken her thoughts, but smiled at him while rubbing his head.

"You deserve a good woman, Baron." _'I'm going to break this curse on you, no matter what.'_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Haru's eyes narrowed as she shifted her footing a bit on the soft earth. She breathed through her nose in order to stay calm.

"And… go!" Muta shouted. The brunette girl exploded out of her racing stance, into the deeper part of the forest. A creamy tan cat jumped out of a tree to grab her, but she smoothly sidestepped him, letting the tomcat fall to the ground. Swallowing the seed of nervousness, she kept running.

Suddenly a rope swung out of nowhere and tripped her. She gasped as she fell to the ground, but didn't make a sound. Swallowing, she rubbed her sore nose while getting to her feet. Toto swooped in close to her head, but she kept her mouth shut. Grimacing a bit, she decided it was time for her to fight back. Raising her hand to the heavens, she slammed it down, the small balls of energy exploding into a blinding smoke that covered the entire area. She could hear a few cats gasping for breath as she carefully maneuvered her way out of the smoke's way and kept running.

That was all she could do, really. Silly joke spells, since her family had kept too close of an eye on her to learn anything of higher quality. The slim brunette was really looking forward to sifting through Baron's library, since he had promised her that he would let her learn whatever her heart desired once they were wed.

Then she saw it. The pine cone that had been marked by the handkerchief she had sent Baron, in order to tell it from the others in the forest. But it was on the other side of the cool river. Fighting hard not to say anything about how evil Toto was for placing it there, she pulled off her boots and rolled up her pant legs so she could brave the cold water. She silently gasped as the icy grip touched her skin, but remembered not to speak a single word. Haru slowly, but surely, made her way across the river. With numb legs, she stumbled toward the stump that the prize was on. A brown-spotted cat jumped out at her, but she was too cold to do anything more than slap the cat away and slip the pine cone into her pocket.

She had made it this far ten times before. She turned to see Baron's entire company waiting for her on the other side, ready to accost her again. She sighed; knowing that they were only doing this to help her. They actually liked her a lot, for trying so hard to help them, which was why they had agreed to help train her for invading the Cat Kingdom. She kept her lungs as empty as possible when she entered the cold water again, so that she made a gasp instead of a scream. She could see the cats start shifting around in preparation.

Suddenly hit with a stroke of brilliance, Haru sharply swung her feet around in the water; enough to sufficiently splash the entire company. They howled and mewed pitifully as she gratefully jumped out of the water's grasp and tried to put on one boot at a time while running.

The familiar crow swept at her face unexpectedly, but she didn't have any breath anymore. She batted him and the cats away while making her way back to the starting point, where Baron was patiently waiting for her. She had only made it to seeing distance of her betrothed once before, making her heart skip with joy, that this might be the time she gets it right.

His yellow-green eyes were filled with anxious concern as she slowly approached him, and collapsed next to the cat's side. She pulled out the handkerchief tied pine cone, and offered it to the butterscotch and vanilla cat, who took it gravely.

She didn't find out if he had said anything to congratulate her on her success, because she had passed out from exhaustion.


	6. The Cat Kingdom

Extra

Chapter Six: The Cat Kingdom

Baron untied the handkerchief so that he could wipe at the soak-ridden brow, impressed beyond words. He smiled fondly at her, and licked his fiancé's cheek while the rest of the company approached them. Muta meowed a little angrily, hating how his fur smelled when wet.

"Well, one out of seventy-six tries in two weeks isn't so bad."

Toto laughed softly.

"Soaking the cats was a nice touch."

"Says you," a light tan cat said, licking himself dry as the others did the same. Baron looked at Haru's feet, noticing how the edges of her pants were wet.

"Muta, go catch a fish for Haru while I build a fire. Knowing her, she'll want to invade the Cat Kingdom as soon as possible, and she'll need all the strength she can get."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Haru was gloriously warm when she woke up, darkness already set in. But she couldn't have told, from the warm orange glow of a fire. She sat and stretched, noticing a second too late that Baron had been curled up close to her stomach. He meowed in protest, but opened his eyes to smile warmly at her.

"You're ready to take on the Cat Kingdom."

She smiled back at him while pulling him on her lap and squeezing affectionately. She looked around the dark forest, the rest of the company asleep underneath the stars. Her nose detected a slightly burnt fish, which was skewered on a long stick and leaning over the fire; the lower end under Muta's ample stomach, to ensure that it would stay put. At Baron's urging, she eased the stick away from Muta and started eating. Half was burned, half was raw, and there weren't any seasoning to enhance the taste beyond the stick it was on.

But to the famished girl, it was more delicious than anything she had ever tried before. She sighed happily before tossing the stick and bones into the fire.

"It'd probably be smarter to wait until tomorrow to go after your ring. That way, I have a little more time to get out. A human can only get to the kingdom after dark."

Baron nodded as he curled up in her lap.

"Did I ever thank you for going through all this trouble on our behalf?"

She squeezed him again as she fell on her side to fall asleep again.

"No, but I know you mean it. Goodnight, Baron."

He licked her cheek affectionately.

"Goodnight Haru, and thank you." He couldn't wait until he was human again, and could truly be with this wonderful woman.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The next night, just as the sun was setting, Haru led the company through the forest to a large lake that was surrounded by smaller lakes on the other side. She pointed up at the hill.

"When this area was first discovered, the explorer came over that hill, and thought that the lakes were lined up like a cat's paw, which fits the name since the largest lake is the portal into the Cat Kingdom."

She stole a final hug from the tawny cat for luck before diving into the water.

It wasn't cold, like the river she had crossed in training. But if truth be told, she couldn't even feel the water. Just when she thought she was diving into the water, she landed on dry ground, nearly invisible underneath all the cat tails. Suppressing her groan, she got to her feet and brushed herself off while taking in her new surroundings, a little surprised to find that the royal cat family hadn't been exaggerating, when they talked about how beautiful their kingdom was.

Before she could go any farther with this thought, the lake exploded behind her, making the girl bend down in order to hide herself in the cat tails. Through the long green stalks, she could see Baron hit the ground first, on his feet. He stood on his hind legs and brushed the remaining water specks from his fur as the others in his group landed behind him. Each cat was now standing taller than she herself did.

"My, that was an adventure," Baron said softly, looking around his surrounding, possibly for her.

Feeling indignant, she stood up and approached the tawny cat, firmly hitting his cream-colored chest with the side of one fist; softly glaring up at him. The brunette had thought that she had made her decision to go alone crystal clear. Baron just laughed at her and wrapped her in a warm hug, obviously enjoying the chance to do so. Her anger ebbed a bit; the human girl enjoying her fiancé's strange embrace.

"Silly Haru; did you really think I was going to let you do this alone?"

Haru opened her mouth, and shut it quick; remembering that she couldn't speak a word now. Muta chuckled evilly as he got to his feet.

"Birdbrain's staying behind, since he'd attract too much attention. Let's go storm the castle!"

"Subtly, Muta," Baron reminded him. "Remember, we want to be gone from here before they realize we came." He linked arms with his fiancé. "Besides, Haru; a human is too obvious here. We're providing a bit of cover for you."

Sighing, the slim brunette admitted defeat as she kissed her betrothed's cheek in gratitude.

'_Ah hah! He __**does**__ know how to blush!'_

He tried to silence the red tinge to his fur while gesturing for her to lead the way. Facing the path, she chose to walk just to the left of it, in the cat tails, so no one could tell that she was a human.

'_If I had known that they were planning on following me, I'd have told them more about the security around here. But at least I'm not alone for this.'_

Even from the lake, one could see the massive castle's towers peaking over the top of the hill. As the company drew closer to the castle, Haru suddenly yanked Baron behind Muta, and softly poked the fatso to tell him to keep moving.

"Haru?" Baron asked softly, concerned. The girl bit on her tongue to keep from answering, and discreetly pointed at the moving balls circling around the castle. Using her thumb and first finger, she moved an air circle around like the spheres, and then put the hole up to her eye like a looking glass. Baron took a second before making a guess.

"The Cat King can see us through those things?"

She nodded, and held onto his paw a little tighter. He squeezed her hand as she used her other to direct Muta, who was now leading the company, around the castle to the back area. Over the top of the huge stone wall was a ridiculously tall tower. Haru approached the wall, a bit distressed that it was taller than what she was used to jumping over. Muta came up behind her.

"You want over, Chicky?"

She nodded, stifling a yelp as he picked her up and held her high enough so that she could climb on top. She jumped down by herself, and patiently waited for the guys to join her.

Spotting a happy thing for their cause, she gave a very stern gesture for all of them to stay put. Baron tried to follow her anyway, but decided to stay put after she gave him her special glare. From their little corner, the company watched her stealthily approach a maid that had appeared with some garbage to dump. After the smelly stuff had been disposed of, Haru had managed to get directly behind the maid, and tapped her shoulder politely.

The maid wheeled around fast; her scream unspoken as Haru quickly covered the maid's mouth with one hand. Baron watched; confused as to why the maid's fear melted away. With one paw, she pulled away the human's hand and started saying something that had a scolding tone to it. Haru covered her mouth again, and looked over at the guys. Her sapphire eyes trailed to them, and understood. Willingly, she followed the human girl back to the company, and bowed politely.

"I am Yuki, an old friend of Haru's. Which of you is the baron?"

The tawny cat stepped forward and bowed back.

"What can you tell us of my ring?"

The white cat sighed.

"The princess always keeps the treasure on a gold chain around her neck. She even sleeps with it on. Worse still, all of the royal family knows that Haru will be coming any day now, since she swore to help you. Security's tighter than ever, especially around the princess."

Haru snapped her fingers in irritation as Baron started growling.

"There has to be a way to get my fiancé close enough to steal the ring back."

Yuki sat on her haunches, trying to think of something. A gleam suddenly shone inside her sapphire eyes.

"Does anyone here have any unusual talents?"


	7. The New Entertainers

Extra

Chapter Seven: The New Entertainers

The Cat Princess raised her paw to her throat, feeling the cool metal hoop she had personally strapped to her neck; tracing the von Gikkingen family seal slowly.

'_Why hasn't that silly twit tried something by now? Father practically spoon-fed her on how to reach the kingdom and castle. Where was that girl?'_

Louise had never been fond of the girl her father had vowed to marry, but as long as she could keep a healthy distance away and didn't have to call her 'Step-Mama', the elegant white cat could have handled it. But seeing the girl getting paired up to a handsome male like the baron without any effort on her part made the princess's blood boil.

Haru was too boring and ordinary to make a good bride for the handsome baron. Louise had to admit; she didn't expect the girl to have enough fire in her to run away from home, and to evade capture for over two weeks. But Natoru's report had been crystal-clear; the human had every intention of helping her fiancé. And since she had to have met him by now, Haru should have been here by now. And the princess knew all of the right things to say to get the human to talk.

Her father looked over at her; his expression worried.

"Don't worry, my sweet; we'll have a double wedding yet."

Louise growled; unable to eat the fish that had been so carefully prepared just for her.

"I just want this mess over with!"

The king patted her paw.

"I think you need something to distract you from your nerves." He looked over at Natori. "Bring in the entertainers!"

Fools always made the princess feel better. The purple-robed cat bowed low before forwarding the order. It was still a few minutes before a group appeared. Louise recognized the costumes, but the entertainers were new to her. Natoru approached the royal table and coughed in an embarrassed manner.

"If your majesty will remember, you gave the entertainers the week off. But this group said they'd be willing to step in."

Louise looked at them, a little surprised that she couldn't remember seeing any of them around before. They were all tomcats, which was surprising.

The first two performers stepped forward, and bowed low before the royal table. Taking a good twenty paces away from each other, they bowed politely to each other before pulling out several daggers each and started hurling them at their partner. All the cats in the banquet hall stared in amazement as the two started perfectly juggling the weapons between them, slowly making the arch of daggers higher and higher before prudently ending the show before someone got hurt.

The princess regained her breath and started clapping happily.

"At last! Something new! More!" she ordered. A ridiculously fat cat came forward, looking silly in a jester hat complete with bells. He lay himself on the ground while three other cats pounced at him, bouncing a good ten feet away from the cat's enormous belly. Looking completely perplexed, the cats kept trying to pounce onto the fat cat, only to ricochet away comically and crying crocodile tears of frustration. Louise leaned over, her ribs starting to hurt from all the laughing as the other nobles followed her example.

'_I think I'll have to convince Father to fire the other group!' _"More!" she cried again, surprised to be enjoying herself so much, when she should have been worried about something… something important. A couple came forward; proving that there was at least one female in this circle. This couple was dressed in medieval black, and wearing masks like the two pale theatre masks. The female was wearing the happy one, and the male the sad one.

Of course, the only reason the princess could tell which was which was because the shorter one was wearing a dress, and the taller one a cape. Behind the theatre masks, their heads were completely covered by a black cloth that matched their outfits, so that not a single inch of fur could be seen.

The two entertainers bowed as one, but then strangely separated. Or more to the point, the girl one stepped away from the boy one, and pretended to take out a mirror and look over herself. But the way she was pretending to fix her face was comical, like she was trying too hard to look good. Louise bit back a giggle. The boy one looked over at her, but then looked away, like a bashful little boy. Hesitantly, he approached her, his footsteps as soft as rain as he obviously got up the courage to softly tap the girl on the shoulder.

She casually looked over at him, and jumped; hiding the pretend mirror behind her back. The boy one bowed grandly for her, making her raise one paw to the lips of her pale mask, and slowly give it to him. The boy one softly pressed the offered paw to the clay lips of his mask, and then stood; gesturing to the large area in the middle of the hall. In the corner of her eye, Louise could see the fat cat from before whispering to one of the musicians. The accordion player nodded, and stood up for a solo.

Realizing that the boy wanted to dance with her, the girl actor jumped a good ten feet away from him; shaking her head and paws so hard and comically that everyone had to laugh, including the king. The boy one raised one paw to the chin of his mask, and tilted his head as he approached her again. He held his paw out in a 'why not?' gesture. The girl had a bit of trouble expressing the next part; settling for stepping a little farther away from the boy and attempting a box step.

Everyone laughed again, seeing her fall flat on her back for her troubles. Her torso shook slightly, like the actress was either about to cry or trying not to laugh. The boy leaned down next to her, and helped the girl to her feet again.

He touched the cheek of her mask in a soft loving gesture before firmly taking hold of one paw and placing her other one on his shoulder so he could hold her waist. The accordion player took that as his cue, and started a romantic waltz.

At first, the girl was every bit as clumsy as she had portrayed herself to be, but her partner would firmly redirect her footing, and put her back on course.

One minute into the waltz, she was no longer lethal. Two minutes, and she was just not good. Three made her okay, and four made her a master. The boy actor happily led her through a dip and twirled her around like he hadn't been born to do anything else.

Louise sighed happily; dreaming of the day when her baron would hold her just like that. Sure, he was bound to be angry at her for forcing him into a marriage at first, but after the wedding and the getting-to-know-you business, she was confident that the baron's love would be hers. She knew he was wealthy, of course, but what had gotten her attention was that gorgeous face of his. She giggled, slightly surprised when the couple stepped outside the invisible line around the entertainer's circle and started interacting with the nobles as they spun around.

The boy one pretended to take a sip of wine through his mask, and the girl one snatched a fan to comically cool herself; handing the accessory to a boy noble five seats away from the true owner. The Italian cat blushed at holding the feminine item, and quickly passed it to the girl seated to the right of him.

All the cats held their breath when the dancing couple approached the royal table. The theatre cats pulled a comical sideways bow, and broke apart; each suddenly carrying an item in one hand.

The boy one had a red rose extended to the king, and the girl one had a fine golden chain extended to the princess. Suddenly, they looked at each other, and moved around like they were pretending to laugh. In sync, they clapped their hands until suddenly the boy cat was holding the gold chain, and the girl a red rose. Everyone gasped, since there was a good five feet between them, and everyone would have seen if they had been able to sneak a switch. Showing an extraordinary amount of bravery, the boy one carefully secured the gold chain around the king's neck while the girl one gently tucked the rose behind the princess's ear.

The princess laughed happily as the couple ran around the table and at each other again; the boy one picking up the girl one by the waist and swinging her around happily. She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed affectionately.

They finished their dance with a glorious flourish, and a great puff of smoke enveloped them. When the smoke disappeared a few seconds later, the couple was gone.

Everyone rose to their hind paws and started clapping like mad.

"Marvelous! Magnificent!" the king boomed; puffing out his chest a bit to show off the fine golden chain. Louise finally collapsed to her chair, taking the rose off in order to smell the sweet scent. She rubbed her nose against the velvety petals; her cares completely forgotten. Yuki came forward with a bottle of wine, sneaking a glance at the princess's throat while pouring a drink.

A beautiful gold ring was still around the white cat's neck. But unlike the one that had been there before the entertainers, this one had the Yoshioka seal.


	8. The Daring Escape

Extra

Chapter Eight: The Daring Escape

Haru had to restrain herself sharply from saying anything to Baron as they joined his company in the hallway; her spirit far lighter than she could ever remember it being.

'_He can make me dance!'_

Baron raised one hand to take off his theatre mask, but then suddenly decided to leave it on.

"We better get going, before they find out."

Haru nodded, and pulled out the special door that Yuki had shown her before escorting them to the entertainer's room, always able to tell in advance how soon the royal family would want entertainment.

Muta took one look at the tiny escape hatch and grunted.

"I'll take the fast way out." Pulling off the silly hat, he opened a window and jumped through it. Baron could clearly hear his old friend carefully claw his way down the side of the building as he shut the window, so no one would be able to tell.

Haru slid down first, also deciding to keep the disguise on a little longer, just in case. She didn't want Baron to find out, but she had become more cat-like in his arms. Her hands had shifted into paws, and her ears were now pressed against the top of her head by the heavy hood.

Around her throat, she could feel Baron's family ring. Having worn her family's ring for years, she could tell just from the balance of the thing that it wasn't hers. Should she give it to Baron now, or wait until they were out of the kingdom?

The second option was a bit smarter, since it wouldn't make much sense for them to change back into cats if they didn't get out in time.

She rolled to a stop in the tunnel, and looked up to see a circular light. Knowing that it was the exit, Haru started climbing as her companions followed suit.

With a bit of difficulty, she pushed the lid up enough to see if anyone was around. The coast was clear, except for Muta, who was still slowly creeping down the side of the castle. Firmly pushing aside the lid, the half-cat slipped out of the hole so her companions could do the same.

Baron stretched gratefully as Muta approached them.

"So now all we have to do is jump back into the lake?"

Haru shook her head and pointed at the huge tower in the middle of the maze. The tan cat, Nicholas, gaped.

"Please say you're joking, my lady."

The girl sadly shook her head again, and started running down the stairs in order to attack the maze. Shaking his head in amazement, Baron followed her, as did his companions.

Haru led the way in, wishing that she knew the faster way out. But without a portal at her disposal, she would have to do it the hard way. Muta suddenly chuckled softly.

"Hey, why are we following the rules?" He started climbing onto a wall, as his friends looked on. Haru opened her mouth to warn him, but bit her tongue, remembering her task. She settled for frantically waving her arms in a 'don't do it' gesture.

Just like she knew he would, the fatso was suddenly swept off his paws, and it looked like he was about to fall into the sky. He yowled loudly with displeasure, wondering why things like this always happened to _him_.

"Hey! That's not fair!"

With the help of three cats, plus Baron, the large white cat managed to find his way down… on top of the ones who had tried to help him. Haru slapped one paw to the mouth of her mask, doing her best to not utter a giggle. Muta glared at her, making the girl remember that she was wearing the happy theatre mask, and probably looked like she really was laughing at him. He growled as he rolled off the relieved felines; a challenge in his tone.

"All right, little Miss Know-It-All; _you _get us out of here!"

She mock-curtsied for him, since that is what she was planning to do from the beginning, and kept walking after it was determined that no one had suffered any permanent damage from Muta's fall.

As he had previously managed to do, Baron was now walking beside his fiancé, and fighting the urge to try to link arms with her. Now was not the time to get romantic with the girl, as much as he would like to. His eye suddenly flickered to his left.

"This way, please."

Haru followed her masked companion, although she had no idea if he had a better knowledge of mazes than she did.

Almost on instinct, Baron led the company through the maze, forever getting closer to the tower in the center.

After an hour or so of walking, Haru stared at the base of the tower, and the winding staircase that led to the top. She looked at her fiancé, and bit her tongue again before she could speak. Baron chuckled from behind his mask.

"My king has a hedge labyrinth similar to this, behind _his _castle. It's considered a right of passage to solve the maze in under three hours without help. I've managed to cut it down to two, but this is a new personal best."

She smiled warmly at him, although he couldn't see it, thanks to the mask. She looked up at the winding staircase, and started running. From behind her, she could hear the other cats following her.

How long it took to climb that tower, she would never be able to tell. Nor could she give a guess as to how tall it was, for while she was climbing it, the tower seemed to stretch higher than ever.

At the twelfth story or so, she began to lose steam. Her legs protested strenuously against this abuse, since she had never been terribly athletic, due to her life under lock and key. A few cats passed by her when she was suddenly swept into a pair of extremely comfortable arms. She looked up to see her masked fiancé.

The brunette half-cat opened her mouth to tell him she could walk, but bit her tongue; and action that hurt her more than usual, thanks to the newly sharpened feline teeth. Baron held her a little closer, hugging her slightly as they trailed up the building.

"Don't worry, Haru. We'll reach the top in time."

As he carried her, the brunette noticed the way he was holding her, so tenderly. She smiled, somehow knowing that all truly would be well. Slowly, in case he didn't want it, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and squeezed softly. His step faltered slightly, but not enough to slow him down. He squeezed her harder, even as the exit approached. All the cats were waiting for them, panting heavily from the terrible exertion.

"Ladies first," Muta wheezed, proving that he did have some genteel manners after all. Haru fought back another giggle as her fiancé lifted her closer to the lip of the tower.

'_I wonder if Louise found out about the switch I made yet.'_


	9. Confrontations

Extra

Chapter Nine: Confrontations

Louise smiled happily again; completely content.

"Natoru, make sure you can contact those performers again."

The cat blinked, and rubbed one paw to the back of his neck.

"Shoot. I should have done that earlier. They said they had some urgent business to attend to in the human world right after entertaining you; apparently they're a large family, and one of them is about to become a father."

Louise nodded glumly, and decided to put the kingdom on alert for them. She hadn't realized how boring the regular acts had become. The only parts that could make her laugh anymore were when the executioner cats chucked the bad entertainers out the window.

Suddenly finding that she had an appetite, the princess ate her lunch, and retired to her personal bedroom for a cat-nap. With body guards firmly in place around her, Louise started drifting off into sweet slumber, fingering the bauble around her neck.

Without warning, a few hours later, she sat up in wide-awake horror. Louise tore the gold chain from her neck in order to look at the seal on the ring. And the design of the seal definitely wasn't the von Gikkingens'. Shuddering with horror, she remembered the last cat that had come close to her that she didn't know.

'_The dancer girl!' _"Haru's here!" She jumped out of her bed in order to run to the other side of the palace, towards the portal tower.

She reached a large window just in time to see the last new entertainer disappear into the human world on top of the portal tower that no one was supposed to be able to reach.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Haru breathed heavily as she sat down next to the lake, and ripped off her theatre mask so that she could take off Baron's ring as he sat down next to her patiently. Her features slowly became more human under the fading moonlight as the little ring fell into the tawny cat's paw.

The slim brunette raised one shifting hand in order to protect her eyes from the blinding light that followed; accompanied by a distant shriek she recognized as being from Princess Louise. She smiled; now knowing that the Cat Princess could never bother them again.

A large gloved hand wrapped around her slim one, and squeezed it softly.

"Haru, _thank you._"

Recognizing Baron's voice, she lowered her hand. A very handsome young man was sitting on the ground next to her, and looking at the girl so tenderly. In the corner of her eye, she could see his company had also changed back into humans, but to be honest, she couldn't focus on them right now. The tawny-haired youth raised his other hand to her cheek.

"I hope you'll forgive my taking the liberty, but I've been wanting to do this since I met you."

Haru had to admire the speed in which he leaned toward her; the love evident in his green gaze. It was fast enough that she couldn't mistake his intent, but slow enough for her to pull away if she wished. Grinning, she leaned forward the last two inches and met his lips in a tender kiss. She could hear his friends rooting them on, but again, although she cared deeply for Baron's men, she wasn't very interested in them at the present. Her whole body quivered with delight; making her wonder why fate had given her someone as wonderful as the man in her arms.

"Hold it!"

The surface of the lake convulsed again, this time to reveal the Cat King, in all of his terrible raging glory. He brought the sword in his paw down, only to have Baron roll safely away with Haru.

"My lord!" Nicholas had unsheathed his sword, and tossed it at his master, who caught it with one hand and jumped to his feet, to stand protectively in front of Haru. The Cat King had landed on all four of his paws, but had stood on his hind legs again; his purple gem glowing as the greasy longhair grew in size. Finally, he towered a good three feet larger than Baron, who was no midget by any stretch of the imagination. The Cat King hissed angrily.

"Give back my Haru!"

Baron glared at his rival as he raised his weapon.

"When you find your own Haru, I won't bother to take her. I'm satisfied with my own."

The gray cat howled as he ran for the ex-cat. Suddenly, his battle shriek was cut off, and he faltered in his step. Dropping his sword, the giant cat desperately started clawing at the gold chain around his neck, which was noticeably tightening; cutting off his air supply. His already huge eyes bulged further, and he fell to the ground, twitching.

"If you were an honorable monarch, I would have given you a more honorable death," Baron said as he stepped closer to the longhair. "Your behavior has been disgraceful at best, and you care for nothing outside your own pleasures. I think I'm doing everyone a favor, including your conceited daughter." With that, the tall human swung his weapon, and the Cat King was silent forevermore.


	10. A Happily Ever After, After All

Extra

Chapter Ten: A Happily Ever After, After All

An elderly priest looked over his holy book by candlelight. His weary eyes traced over the words which had been familiar to him for so long…

Without warning, his church doors swung open, making the old priest nearly tip the candle over. He looked up, stunned to see a group walk in, although it wasn't the holy day. A young woman with closely cropped hair was heading the company, her arm intertwined with that of a very handsome young man.

"How nice to see you, Father Nyashi."

The old man blinked once, and then twice. His eyes widened with recognition.

"_Haru_?! Where have you been?! We've been worried sick about you!"

When did she cut her hair?! She giggled as all the men but the one at her side sat down in the pews. Even a crow was gripping the back of a pew, his little dark eyes bright with happiness.

"Oh, here, there, and everywhere. Father Nyashi, I have a request of you."

"Name it, dear girl."

She beamed, and tightened her grip on the golden man at her side.

"Marry us."

The old priest stared.

"But… your fiancé…"

"I _am _her fiancé," the man said pointedly, pouring a small handful of golden coins on the pedestal next to the churchmen. "Please, Father; we're in a bit of a hurry."

The priest stared at the bride, who was dressed in black from head to toe, while her groom was dressed in a gray that could easily be mistaken for white. Something was off here.

"What about your father? Won't _he _want to be here?"

Haru's eyes turned glacial.

"What he wants doesn't matter anymore. Please, just marry us."

The churchman sighed, but turned his book to the right page. He looked over the congregation, a little disappointed to see maybe ten men present. There were many people that would have loved to see the count's daughter married, especially to one she was obviously smitten with. He sighed, but then coughed, to get his vocal chords to work.

"What is your name, my son?"

"Baron Humbert von Gikkingen," the tawny man answered, although his eyes were locked on his bride. The priest laughed.

"Oh, good gracious. Very well; we are gathered here today, to witness the union between this young couple. Know ye now that what will now pass in these walls will forever impact your lives, and the vows you now take will be binding and true. Baron Humbert von Gikkingen, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I will," Baron said softly, silently wishing that the good friar would pick up the pace a bit. Haru smiled warmly at him, knowing and sharing the same wish.

"Haru Yoshioka, do you take this man as your husband, to obey and honor him in all aspects of life, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," Haru said, already moving her way closer to Baron's arms. He laughed warmly, and slipped a wedding band onto her finger as the priest looked on.

"If there are any among you that know why these two should not be wed, speak now, or forever hold your peace."

A particularly fat man got out of his seat, and unsheathed his sword. He glared down the aisle, just daring anyone to protest. Satisfied that none would, he sheathed his sword, and settled back into his seat. Baron glared at him, but Muta only gave a 'better safe than sorry' shrug. The priest coughed again.

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Without any hesitation, the golden man swept the bride into his arms, and kissed her so passionately that the old friar actually blushed scarlet.

'_Kids these days…'_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The Count Yoshioka wrung his hands again; wishing that he knew what had happened. The Cat King hadn't stopped by the manor since what was supposed to be his wedding day to the count's daughter, and the monarch had sworn to inform the man, when Haru was found.

A small page boy knocked on the side of the door nervously, and bowed respectfully when the count looked at him.

"Begging your grace's pardon; a letter for you from the baron von Gikkingen."

The old man blinked dumbly, and nearly jumped on the boy in order to get at the letter. What had gone wrong? He had thought that the Cat Princess had taken care of him!

The finely dressed nobleman tore open the letter, and started reading.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

_Dear Count Yoshioka;_

_I have recently been given several reasons to believe that you had no intention of honoring the agreement you had made with my father. Moreover, I am most displeased that you had tried to marry my bride to an older suitor, just because he dangled gold in front of your eyes, and that you were too dishonorable to even tell me the truth, or to return the bride price that had been paid years ago._

_But you needn't worry about me turning you over to your king or mine, for the broken bargain. Haru is now my happily wedded wife, who is not shedding a single tear over the fact that I have no intention of ever letting you near her again. She is a wonderful woman, whose many talents should be __**encouraged**__, not hidden. She's also disowned you, since she doesn't want anything to do with back-stabbers._

_As to her happiness, I will make it my personal mission for the rest of my days. We have every intention of having a happy life together without your disgusting interference. If, by chance, you feel that I have wronged you, feel free to drop by our manor to discuss it. I'll keep my swords sharpened for your arrival._

_Goodbye, _

_Baron Humbert von Gikkingen_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Lots of love to; gacktxx, QuickStar, Watersoul the Head Star Walker, Drifting One, Lanari, kittydemon18, EarthGurdian, reddevil1120, -.Bloody.Broken.Puppet.-, Elvin Magi, kk or art can go boom, and tashie1010 for all of the reviews they've been giving. I love you guys.

More stories on the way!

YarningChick


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